Mismatched Flowers
by Kadasa-Mori
Summary: How did Jareth come to be the King of Goblins? Simple. He asked for a story.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Basically the only thing I don't own in this is Jareth, the Underground, the Goblins and the Labyrinth. Everything else is pretty much mine! No stealing! (_hisses_)

**Summary:** How did Jareth come to be the King of Goblins? Simple. He asked for a story.

**Age:** Jareth and Jason are 13. Ryoko and Amarados are 12. Marie is 315.

**Warning:** Jareth is totally out of character.

**Another warning:** This story will be sad. You have been warned.

**Another warning:** This contains **Heal Me, Hurt Me** spoilers! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SPOIL HEAL ME, HURT ME, READ THAT FIRST THEN READ THIS ONE! O' course, HMHM is so long that you might wanna read this just to understand it XD

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**Mismatched Flowers**

**By Kadasa Mori**

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**Part I **

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"Come back here you little brats! Come back here at once!"

"Run! Run!"

"Hurry!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

The leader of the small pack skidded and quickly turned to his right. "Come on! This way!" They raced through the winding alleyways, leaping over lounging dogs and garbage cans before they reached a huge cement wall, lined the entire way with thick bushes.

The young boy pulled back one of the bushes, the other three hurrying inside the hole in the wall. He quickly followed after them, staying out of sight of the large castle and any guards wandering about until they reached their hideaway in the garden in the back.

Smirking, he high-fived them. "Great job guys!"

A grinning redhead flopped back on the grass to munch at his stolen prize. "Aw come on. That was an easy snatch!"

A reddish-purplish haired youth, looking eerily like the other redhead, sat down beside him and snatched away the prize. "And there you were, huffing and puffing _behind_ the rest of us, Ryoko."

Ryoko scowled, narrowing his gray eyes and snatching back the muffin. "I was right next to you Amdos!!!" Amarandos scowled back, his own silver blue eyes narrowed as well. He opened his mouth to argue when the third member spoke up.

"Come on guys! At least we got the muffins." He pulled out a blueberry one and bit into it happily. Grinning, he turned to the other three and pointed to a golden eye. "Besides, it's my sight that kept us out of trouble!"

The last member and leader of their small group leapt at him, noogie-ing short honey brown hair. "Yeah right Jason! It's my leadership that got us here!"

Jason let out a yelp and hurried to the other side of their circle, rubbing his head. "Jareth! That hurt!"

Jareth grinned widely, short wild blond hair pulled into a somewhat manageable ponytail, mismatched eyes vibrant against his skin. He pulled a muffin out and opened his mouth to take a bite when a hand grabbed it.

"Jareth! What have I told you about stealing?!"

He pouted and turned to the girl who'd arrived. "But… but _Marie_!!!"

"Don't you _but Marie_ me!" the girl said in annoyance, not looking older than 25 but in reality was a few years past three centuries. She brushed back a loose strand of long black hair and bounced the muffin in the other hand. "I've told all four of you time and time again that you're _not_ to steal from the bakery. We've had to repay the baker and his wife dozens of times for lost goods because of you!"

She smacked him upside the head then took a bite out of the muffin, turning on her heel and heading for the castle. Jareth pouted and grabbed another muffin out of the bag and took a vicious bite out of it.

"Your sister rocks Jareth." He scowled darkly at Ryoko who shrugged. "She's the only one who can yell at you!"

"Cept his mum and dad!" Amarandos chirped.

Ryoko scowled at him. "Shut up Amdos!"

"You shut up Ryoko!"

"Hey! Let's call Marie 'Terra' from now on!" Everyone blinked and turned to Jason. He blinked as well. "What?"

"Why _Terra_?" Ryoko asked, nose scrunching up in confusion.

"Cause I like that name."

Ryoko shrugged and took a bite out of his muffin. "Fine by me."

"Me too," Amarandos chirped.

Jareth sighed. "I suppose _I_ have to tell her the news?" They all nodded happily and he sighed, then leaned back to finish off his muffin. "So how's your brother?" he asked the twins.

Amarandos began talking, mouth full of muffin, crumbs spewing out.

The redhead made a face, whether it was at his twin or his older brother, Jareth didn't know. "In _love_ with some girl named Venus. She's an elf and doesn't think that_ 'being half elf and half wolf means that she should love him any less_!'" He shuddered. "Nauseating it is."

Jason laughed. "I'm _never_ gonna fall in love!"

Jareth nudged him. "What about that girl that's by the flower stand?! You're always fawning over her!"

"Am not!" Jason protested, turning pink.

"Are too!"

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Peering around the corner of the stone wall, Jareth spotted his sister and mother seated at a table in the garden, drinking tea and chatting about… whatever. He scowled slightly. He'd once listened in but all they talked about was who was getting married, who just had a baby, who was going out with who and 'girl stuff.'

Rolling his eyes he straightened and stepped out, walking towards them, chest puffed out importantly. He walked up to his sister and pointed to her. "Your name is now Terra!"

Marie raised an eyebrow at the same time as her mother and both turned to each other then back to Jareth. "Terra?"

He nodded and crossed his arms. "Terra."

Sighing heavily, she put her chin in her palm and her elbow on the table. "And why is my name _Terra_?"

He opened his mouth then shut it and shrugged. "Jason liked the name Terra and so do I so you're now Terra."

She sighed again then nodded. "Whatever." She turned back to Hotaru. "So, where was I?" Jareth blinked then pouted and hurried to her side and poked her. "What?"

"You're supposed to give me a name now!"

She rolled her eyes. "Fred. Go away."

"_Ter-_ra!"

"I'll think about it. Go find Jason." He grinned widely and took off.

Hotaru smiled at her daughter. "So what are you thinking of?"

Marie shrugged. "What's as different to Jareth as Marie is to Terra?" She sipped at her tea then scowled. "How the hell did he think up _Terra_?"

Hotaru giggled. "At least he has a pet name for you that isn't a swear word."

Marie shrugged. "I think it would've been better than Terra."

Chuckling, Hotaru picked up her tea, then set it down quickly in excitement. "Oh! Did you hear Ms. Bennett is getting married to Mr. Bingley? And her younger sister is marrying Mr. Darcy!"

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For the next week and a half, Jareth pestered his sister everyday for his new nickname. Every time she'd swat him away and tell him to give her some time to think about one. Today though he'd rounded up his 'gang' of trouble makers to pester her until she named him.

"Did ya think of a name yet?" Jareth asked, poking his sister.

She scowled and swatted at him. "Yes. You're a goblin. You _all_ are!" She poked Jareth's forehead. "But _you_ are King of the Goblins, you little brat."

Jareth blinked then grinned. "King of the Goblins!"

"Yes, yes. Now go away."

He grinned to his group. "Let's go goblins! We've a town to terrorize!"

Marie choked. "No! Wait! Jareth!" But it was too late as they tore out the front gates and towards town.

In only a week, it was common to hear people shouting "you little goblins!"

To which Jareth would look over his shoulder with a wicked grin and reply, "_King_ of the Goblins!"

And Marie groaned and hung her head when people came to complain.

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"Terra!" Squeaking loudly, Marie fell forward, glad her father was there to catch her and save her from tumbling to the ground. She turned and found her brother hugging her tightly. He grinned up at her. "I missed you!"

She smiled. "I was gone for only three days my little goblin."

"_King_, Terra. King!"

"Yes, yes. My little Goblin King."

"Goblin King?" Glorificus asked, eyebrow rising.

"Yup!" Jareth held his chin high. "Terra gave me a nickname!"

"I know that my son," Glorificus said in amusement. "But I've only ever heard 'goblin', not the royalty version."

"Well she said I'm the Goblin _King_!"

Marie giggled as her father rolled his eyes, smile still on his face. "Yes. Well what does a Goblin King do?"

Jareth blinked. "Uh…" He glanced at Marie with a 'help!' look.

She giggled again then held herself proudly. "A Goblin King steals little children from their beds and turns them into Goblins!" She ticked Jareth's sides. "But one day he found his heir in you Jareth and turned you into the King of Goblins!"

Jareth laughed and batted her hands away. "You should make a story about me Terra!"

"You my dear little brother?" Marie asked, ruffling his hair. "There's not much to say. 'He was an annoying little brother who liked to steal muffins from the local baker.'"

"Not me! The Goblin King! Write a story about me!"

"Sure thing." She ruffled his hair. "Now father and I have rounds to make in town. Be a good little goblin."

He rolled his eyes. "_King_, Terra. King."

"Yes, yes. My little Goblin King."

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Jareth peeked around the corner to their 'secret spot', his and Marie's, only to find his sister seated on the grass, a book in one hand, quill in the other as she wrote and hummed at the same time.

"Terra?" he called hesitantly.

She looked up and smiled warmly. "Good day Jareth, my little goblin."

"_King_, Terra. King."

"Yes, yes. My little Goblin King. Come take a seat with me." He did so, curling up against her side.

"What are you writing?"

"A book."

"A book?! What's it about?"

She tickled his nose with the end of the quill. "You."

"Me?!"

"Yes." She laughed. "You. You and your goblin entourage. _The History of the Goblin King_!"

He smiled. "Will you read it to me?"

"When I'm finished."

"Are you almost done?"

"Almost."

"When will it be done?"

She laughed. "When you stop interrupting me and let me finish!"

"Oh! Okay!" He made the motion of zipping his lips and shuffled so his head rested on her thigh. She smiled and ran a hand through his hair before resting it over his arm and turning back to her book. He played with her ring, a thin silver ring with a circular green gem held up by two wings. Smiling, he shut his eyes, ears listening to the scratches of her writing, the wind whistling through the hedges and her soft humming.

_This is the greatest place in the world_, he thought, sinking into relaxation.

"Jareth?" He turned to look at her and she smiled. "It's getting close to lunch. Aren't you hungry?"

"Can't we eat out here?" he asked with a pout.

She giggled. "No my dear. Mother insists we eat inside."

"Aw…" Shifting, a spot of color caught his attention. "What's _that_?"

"Hm? What's what?"

He crawled over her legs and scurried to the corner of their hideaway. Reaching down, he pulled out the two spots of color and found two flowers wrapped around each other. He turned to Marie. "What are they?"

"Let's see." She took them and turned them around. "This one is a daisy and this one a pansy."

"Why are they growing here?"

She shrugged. "Someone must have planted them or a bird could've brought the seeds here and they planted themselves."

"Oh." He cocked his head at the flowers. "They're pretty."

She smiled. "The daisy represents innocence and the pansy represents a loved one, memories and whatnot."

"Hm…" He took them back and held the daisy up to the right side of her head then the pansy to the left. "Hmmm… the daisy looks better on you." He stuck it behind her ear and took the pansy for himself. He smiled at it then at her. "We're a pair of mismatched flowers."

She smiled and hugged him. "Yes we are, Jareth, my little goblin."

He rolled his eyes. "_King_, Terra. King."

"Yes, yes. My little Goblin King."

"Now let's go! I'm hungry."

She chuckled and stood, grabbing her things. She watched uneasily as he twirled the pansy. It was the 'memories of a loved one' that worried her. She took a deep breath and relaxed. Nothing was going to happen to him. She'd make sure of that.

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Humming to herself, Hotaru walked past the entry way to the garden, paused and backed up. With a sigh she walked into the room and took a seat beside her son who was staring out the window into the back yard.

"Staring won't make her appear any faster."

He sighed. "I know." With a pout he drew his knees up to his chin. "When's she gonna be back?"

Hotaru smiled patiently. "Soon Jareth." She ruffled his hair. "Soon." Standing, she continued on her previous course leaving the blond by himself… or so she thought.

"She gone?" Jason whispered.

"Yup!" Jareth replied with a grin, leaning over as Jason crawled out from under the bench. "Are you ready?"

"Yes sir, Goblin King sir!" Jason saluted and was whapped.

"Shh!" Jareth hissed. "Here she comes!" Jason grinned and hid quickly as Marie made her way in from the gardens having had a small tea party with some of the other girls in town.

"Terra!"

The girl turned and smiled warmly as her brother bounded into her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She hugged him tightly. "Hello Jareth, my little goblin."

He grinned up at her. "King of the Goblins, Terra! _King_!"

She ruffled his hair. "Yes, yes. My little Goblin King."

"Terra!"

Marie turned as another body collided with hers. She laughed. "Why hello Jason!" She blinked then scowled and put her hands on her hips. "Why are you two together? Whenever you're together you always create mischief. What did you do this time?"

Jareth and Jason bumped fists together. "Not even thirty seconds!" Jason cried happily, turning on his heel and running off.

Jareth laughed and hurried after his friend as his sister scowled in their direction. "You little goblins!!!"

"King, Terra! King!!!"

She rolled her eyes and muttered "why the hell did I ever think up that name?"

"Because you're an idiot," her mother supplied as she walked back through.

Marie sighed. "I hate my life."

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"'You… you have no power over me!' the princess cried defiantly.

"The Goblin King grasped at his chest as his world began crumbling down around him and he fell backwards off the platform. She gasped and hurried to the edge only to find a barn owl flying into the sky in a flurry of feathers.

"The stone beneath her feet crumbled and she found herself falling and falling into space. The ground solidified under her and she was back in her room in the castle. Blinking she looked around before she raced to her little brother's room.

"'He was sleeping soundly, thumb close to his mouth in case he needed it. Smiling, the young princess ran her fingers over his baby cheek then kissed his forehead and turned, walking back to her room. She opened the door with a sigh, wondering if she'd ever see her friends again, shutting it behind her and staring at the ground.

"'Hey! Why the long face?' She looked up sharply and found her friends sitting there waiting for her.

"'You came!' she cried and raced over to hug them.

"'Of course we came,' they replied. 'We're friends aren't we?'

"She nodded. 'Friends forever!' Their party lasted long into the night, the barn owl sitting outside going unnoticed as he flew into a full moon. The end."

Marie shut the red book finding four boys staring at her, gazes distant. She grinned. "Well. How was it?"

Jareth shook himself awake first and crossed his arms irritably. "The Goblin King wouldn't be so… so… so…"

"Mushy?" Ryoko supplied.

"Yeah! He wouldn't be so mushy!"

Maries rolled her eyes. "And how would you know? There isn't such a person."

He pointed to himself. "_I'm_ the Goblin King and I say I wouldn't be so mushy!... wait…"

"Ryoko! Amarandos! Your mother's here!" Hotaru called from the castle.

They pouted and stood. "See ya later Jareth," Ryoko muttered, trudging towards the castle.

"Ah! Amdos left his scarf!" Jason chirped, grabbing it. "I'll go give it to him. Be back in a moment!"

Jareth and Marie watched him raced after the two, then tackle the red-purple-whatever-color-you-called-it haired boy, a scuffle breaking out before Hotaru and their mother shouted again and they raced for the castle.

He turned to his sister who set the book down, gently touching the petals of nearby flowers. "Terra… that really was too mushy. Girls are too mushy."

Marie rolled her eyes at him, taking the flowers and cutting the stems. "Jareth. One day you will break many girls' hearts." He scowled at her. "It's true." She tapped his nose. "But be careful when you find that special girl and decide not to change. You'll regret it little brother."

"Yah, yah." He waved her away. "I ain't going after girls. They've got cooties."

She smirked then grabbed his head and kissed it. "There! Now you're infected!"

He growled at her, wiping his forehead. "You don't count."

Her eyes narrowed. "You don't count me as a girl?" she growled.

"Ouch… uh… I think I should run away…" They turned to Jason who'd just arrived, glancing nervously at Marie who smirked at him.

Jareth stood. "She's being a brat again."

Jason grinned widely. "Aw. She's so good at it too." Marie's eyes darkened dangerously as she stood. They squeaked, backing up quickly before turning and beginning to walk away quickly.

A sharp gasp made both of them turn and find her eyes wide. She turned and they followed her gaze. Jason's hand grabbed Jareth's arm quickly. A demon stood there, black flames flickering angrily, red spots for eyes narrowed and staring at Marie as it slowly descended upon her, ghostly black hands clawing for her face. Her body went limp, flowers dropping from her hands to litter the ground, eyes rolling back into her head.

"It's… it's an incubo…" Jason whispered, hardly daring to breath. Jareth's eyes widened.

After moment Marie began screaming, trying to claw at her heart and face, nails drawing blood where they trailed. The demon began cackling. "MARIE!" Jareth screamed.

The incubo turned quickly, gaze falling on him. It pulled its hands back, releasing her from her nightmare. She fell back, eyes unseeing. The incubo grinned wickedly, eyes narrowed as he stared at Jareth who stood trembling. Jason inhaled sharply and tugged on Jareth's sleeve.

"Jare… come on… let's go… now!" Jareth just stared, frozen. The incubo turned in their direction. Jason turned on his heel and fled, screaming at the top of his lungs for help. Jareth just stared as it swooped up in front of him, spindly hands reaching for his face. The edges of his world were turning black, blood roiling in the back of his mind as untold horrors began creeping up on him.

"Get away from my son you demon!!!"

It looked up sharply then screamed as a ball of light raced for it. Darting out of the way, it hissed then disappeared. Glorificus knelt beside Jareth. "Son? Son, are you all right?"

"Ter…ra…" Jareth whispered.

The man frowned in confusion then turned quickly. "Marie?" He hurried over. "Marie?!"

Jareth's vision was fading. "Jareth!" Jason shouted, looking frantic and shaking his shoulder. "Jareth!!!"

Jason disappeared replaced with his mother's. "Jareth wake up!" she cried, eyes filling with tears. "Jareth!" He fell back as his world turned black.

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Groaning, he rolled over in his bed, wondering why his head felt so stuffy and warm. Stretching and feeling bones pop, he slowly opened an eye before shutting it, then reopening it a moment later and looking around his room.

_How did I sleep in so late without father yelling at me?_ he thought curiously before heading for the bathroom to wash up then find Jason and terrorize Marie as usual. He froze, pulling his shirt on as everything returned to him quickly. Turning, and pulling the shirt on the rest of the way, he flew from the room and to his sister's bedroom.

He burst through the door and found her sitting wide eyed on her bed, gripping the sheets. "Terra!" he cried, racing for her side.

Marie reached for him, pulling him into a tight hug. "Oh gods… are you okay Jareth?!" she cried, eyes looking him over quickly.

"I'm fine Terra. I'm fine. Are you?"

"I'm fine too." She licked her lips nervously and looked around. "How about Jason? Is he all right?"

Jareth nodded slowly. "He's fine… are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes of course I am. Why do you ask?"

The door slammed opened. Jareth winced as her fingers became vice like and her eyes widened greatly, fear consuming her. She relaxed as her mother hugged her tightly. "Oh Marie!" she cried. "We were so worried!"

"I'm… I'm alright Mother. I'm fine."

Jareth swallowed uneasily as he saw the darkness in her eyes growing. He glanced at his father who looked pained. "Father?" he asked softly.

Glorificus looked down at him and smiled faintly. "It's alright son. We'll take care of her."

Jareth turned back to his sister as a tremor shot through her arm, hands twitching against her mother's back and eyes going mad. He shut his eyes and wished for time to reorder itself so this would have never happened.

In her room, the daisy wilted.

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**Author's Note: **Welcome to the story of how Jareth became the Goblin King.

HMHM readers will recognize many of the characters shown here. Gotta have many characters right? Now you've met Marie. I had her nicknamed Terra because I couldn't decide between Marie and Terra as her name. :D

**Amarandos** – (_Greek_) unfading  
Twin to Ryoko, he's more of a 'little brother' character than a twin. He's a character I'm beginning to love but am also sad because he's died by the time HMHM came around. Only a few hundred years old and he was bitten by something while traveling in another kingdom and sadly died as a result of it. Bummer. :(

Anyway, the next chapter is the finale. See ya back at HMHM after that!

**Kadasa Mori**

P.S. Misses Bennetts, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley are characters from Pride and Prejudice. I've not read the book but seen the movie and fell in love. Unfortunately I don't have time for reading anything other than fanfic so the book shall stay un-read-ed for quite some time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Basically the only thing I don't own in this is Jareth, the Underground, the Goblins and the Labyrinth. Everything else is pretty much mine! No stealing! (_hisses_)

**Summary:** How did Jareth come to be the King of Goblins? Simple. He asked for a story.

**Ages:** Jareth and Jason are 198, Marie is 400, Kira is 107 and Kara is 6.

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**Mismatched Flowers**

**By Kadasa Mori**

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**Part II – 185 Years Later **

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Walking down the hallway of his grand home, Jareth hummed quietly to himself. It was nearing lunch. His father was at the council, mother either with friends or with his sister, Jason yet to arrive and-

"KARA!"

-sisters have been found. He smirked wickedly and turned to watch the proceedings. The strawberry blond six-year-old squealed happily as she raced around the corner. A half second later, her much blonder haired older sister nearly fell around the corner trying to catch her.

"KARA!" she bellowed again as the girl took off towards Jareth. "I have a date and you're going to make me late! GET BACK HERE!"

Jareth raised an eyebrow as Kara skidded to a stop in front of him and hid behind his legs, still giggling. Kira stomped down the hallway and glowered at him. "Jareth?" she asked through the grounding of her teeth. "Please allow me passage so I may murder my sister."

Jareth glanced at Kara who giggled and hid her face in his legs. "Sure." He stepped back, Kara staying glue to the back of his legs. He bowed to Kira who was now faced with an empty hall. She twitched then threw her hands into the air.

"Fine! You give her to the nanny!" She stomped off and Jareth smirked, turning to his youngest sister.

"Good day Kara."

"Day Jare!" she chirped. "Is Nana here?"

"I believe so. Shall we go see her?"

"Yes!" He walked her down the hallway, the young girl chattering on and on about cookies and cake. He chuckled as she exclaimed her love for chocolate cake.

"Hey! I love it too!" Both turned to find Jason.

"Hey Jason," Jareth said. "Gotta go hand over the sister to the nanny."

"Sure. I'll wait in your room." Kara waved over her shoulder as they walked away. Jason chuckled and waved back, scurrying up the stairs.

Once Kara was handed over, Jareth darted upstairs as well. Jason was lounging on the end of his bed yawning. "I was gone four minutes!" Jareth scolded. "And you're already falling asleep?!"

"I got bored," he replied and stood. "So! Where to?"

A cloud floated across the sun and shadows grew. A wail echoed from down the hall and Jareth winced. It stopped as quickly as it began once the cloud moved away and the sun shone bright once more.

Jason smiled weakly. "How's Terra?"

Jareth shrugged. "Still making it through each day."

The amber haired man sighed. "I'm sorry Jareth."

"It's okay. She'll make it."

"I dearly hope so." They both stared at the ground, minds set far back, remembering summer evenings sitting wide eyed and enraptured with stories.

Jason shook himself. "Enough of this. Come on! We'll be late!"

Nodding, Jareth posted a note to the door telling everyone where he'd be then raced after Jason, laughing as they darted out the front doors towards town.

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"See ya later Jareth!" Jason called as he disappeared. Jareth waved and headed inside, nearly toppling his older sister. Marie gasped in terror and backed away quickly.

"It's alright Terra," he said softly. "It's just me. Jareth."

She blinked and slowly recognized him. "Jareth!" she cried. "I was looking for you and I could find you!" Her eyes watered. "Where _were_ you?!"

"I was out with Jason, Terra," he said in a soothing voice. "Come on. Let's get you back to your room."

"Alright… but it's so… it's so dark…" She shivered and he held out a hand, a crystal forming and glowing brightly.

"This will keep you safe." She took it gently and smiled.

"Thank you Jareth. I can always count on you." He felt his chest clench tightly and he nodded, leading her into her room that was constantly brightly lit.

He sat her down in her chair but the windows so she could look outside. "I'll see you at dinner."

"Wait!" He glanced back and she motioned him to walk back over, pulling her treasure box over as he did. "Jareth. I want you to have this." He stared at the ring in his palm, Marie closing his fingers over it. "Give it to your most special person when you get older all right?" She smiled warmly.

"But… Terra… This is _your_ ring. I can't just-"

"Please take it. For me?"

He stared at her, the girl barely held together by anything sane anymore then nodded. "I'll keep it safe Terra."

She sighed peacefully. "Thank you Jareth, my little goblin."

He swallowed hard. "_King_, Terra… it's Goblin King."

"Oh… yes… Goblin King." She smiled sadly. "I fear I forget these things. Apologies sir Goblin King."

He shut his eyes, willing the hotness behind his eyes to vanish. "It's alright," he whispered, turning quickly. "I'll see you at dinner."

"Alright. Will you ask my brother if you see him that I have something for him? An owl… I think. A green one."

"Sure." He slipped out quickly and opened his fist, the ring glimmering against his palm. With a heavy sigh he continued towards his room, pulling out a small box and setting the ring in it along with stray flowers and trinkets she'd given him. "Green owl indeed," he murmured, shutting the lid on it and shoving the box back where it belonged.

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"Come on Kara! Oh Kara! Please hold still! Kara! I've got a date in three minutes and I'm not even dressed! Kara! Kara come back here! KARA!"

Jareth snorted as his sisters raced past his room for the hundredth time in six minutes. Turning the page of his book, he returned to the story, almost missing a shadow passing by his door. He only caught it because he heard a whimper as the wind crashed against his window.

He stood quickly. "Terra?" he called.

"Jareth?!" she cried. He hurried into the hallway and found her curled against the wall. She turned to him with watery eyes. "Jareth! What's happening?!"

"Shhh! It's alright Terra. It's just the wind." He rubbed her back as she clutched him tightly. "It's okay. Everything is okay."

"Jareth… Jareth I can't take it anymore…"

Jareth pulled back to look at her in concern. "Terra?"

"I can't take this anymore!" Marie screamed, grabbing at her hair. "All this fear! I jump at every sound! I fear every turn in a hallway, thinking I'm about to die! I can't take it!"

"Terra!" Jareth cried. "Calm down!" He grabbed her arms. "Calm dow-"

SMACK! She pulled her hand back and let out a sob as he touched his reddening cheek. He looked back up at her and she let out a wail of sorrow before turning on her heels and running away. He sighed heavily and rubbed his brow then hurried after her.

She was in the entry way before the gardens when he found her, muttering to herself and twitching as she paced back and forth. He swallowed uneasily. "Terra?"

She shrieked and looked at him quickly. "Jareth? Oh Jareth!" She fell forward and he caught her, hugging her tightly. "I can't take it anymore Jareth! Please make it stop! My little brother, please. Just make it stop."

He blinked away tears and hugged her close. "I'm sorry Terra," he whispered. "But please hang on. Please. The monsters aren't real."

As soon as he said 'monster' he felt her tense up. She pulled away quickly. "You're with it aren't you?" she asked in a whisper.

"With what?"

"_It_."

"Terra." He took a step towards her. "Terra what are you talking about?"

"NO!" she screamed. "Stay away!"

He frowned. "Terra?"

"Stay there! Please. Don't come closer."

"Terra I won't hurt you."

"Yes you will! Hurt and harm and harm and hurt."

With a sigh, he stepped forward again. "Ter-" A gust of wind blew in and the torch went out, his corner going into shadow. All the terrified girl could see was the arm reaching for her out of the shadows. The scream she let loose echoed in the castle and rung in his ears causing all of the hair on the back of his neck to rise. She scrambled to her feet and tore out of the room, crashing through the glass of the back door and racing into the garden.

"TERRA!" he cried. Running after her he created a crystal, shouting what was happening and tossing it behind him to find his father as quickly as possible.

Terra was just ahead of him, panting as she made her way to their secret spot. "Terra!" he cried. She glanced back fearfully and darted around the corner. Just as he skidded around the corner to catch up, she screamed again, a black shadow suddenly at her throat, clawed fingers wrapped around her head as it grinned viciously at her.

"TERRA!" Jareth screamed. The girl went limp, whites of her eyes showing as she fainted. The incubo let out an inhuman screech of laughter. "Let her go!" Jareth roared, sword in hand as he raced for her.

The creature cackled and spun her around, one hand holding her up by the throat, the other holding her left wrist. It grinned wickedly at him as its hand suddenly sunk into Marie's flesh. As quickly as it appeared, it had disappeared into the girl's body. With nothing holding her up she fell to the ground.

Jareth shifted. "Terra?" he called softly. With no response he edged forward. "Terra?" Still nothing so he leaned down beside her. "Marie?"

Her eyes flashed open, the entire eye black. He gasped and leapt backwards, landing on his back, crawling away. Her mouth split into a wicked grin as liked a puppet she was pulled to her feet, sword in hand.

"Terra!" he cried. "Leave her alone!" She cackled, arm raising and sword glinting. His breath caught in his throat and he barely got out of the way in time as the metal embedded itself in the ground where he'd been laying. Her arm rose again and sliced his before he could move in time.

He yelped, grabbing his arm and darting out of the way. "Terra!"

The voice that came from her mouth was scratchy and harsh. "_T_**e**_r_**r**_a_'**s** _n_**o**_t_ **h**_e_**r**_e_ **a**_n_**y**_m_**o**_r_**e**," she cackled. "**O**_n_**l**_y_ **t**_h_**e** _d_**a**_r_**k**_n_**e**_s_**s**."

"Well tell the darkness to get the hell out!" he snarled, yelping when a flash of silver caused a line of blood on his leg. He leapt backwards, just avoiding a close call to his neck but misjudged his footing as he toppled over a bench and landed on his hurt arm. With a howl of pain, he rolled and grabbed it. This gave the girl ample time to attack him again.

He let out a shriek as the sword impaled itself in his side. Falling to the ground, he looked up in time to see a flash of silver, the metal embedding itself in his left shoulder. He yelled again and clutched at it. Marie brought the sword up once more, cackling wickedly.

A squeal made both turn as a strawberry blond six-year-old hurried around the corner chasing a butterfly. "KARA!" Jareth screamed. She blinked at him and let out a whimper.

"Jare?" she asked, eyes wide. Marie was before her in an instant, sword raised. Kara fell to the ground in surprise. "Rie?"

"Marie! Marie don't! Please! It's your sister! It's Kara! Don't let that creature kill your sister!" The sword wavered in its downward arc. "It's your duty as an older sister to keep your younger siblings from harm Marie! Don't do it!"

"Rie? What's wrong?" Kara's bottom lip trembled. "Rie you're scaring me." The sword trembled and Marie stumbled backwards, face switching between pain and fury.

"Kara! Go get dad!" Jareth shouted, stumbling to his feet. She looked between her two siblings. "NOW!" he bellowed. With a cry, the girl tore out of the gardens. He turned his focus to Marie. "Marie I know you can hear me. Marie focus! Get it out! Focus on getting it out!"

She grabbed at her head, sword falling to the ground as she screamed. "I can't! I can't!" A black flame surrounded her, the pressure building up.

"Terra!" he shouted. "You can do it!"

Her eyes snapped open, normal blue instead of entirely black and she looked at him sharply. "I can't do it Jareth!" She grabbed the sword and before he could do anything, impaled herself upon it.

"TERRA!"

The flame surrounding her exploded and he flew backwards, hitting the bushes and falling to the ground. The incubo let out a scream of fury as it flew out of her body. It looked around then focused on Jareth and raced for him, clawed hands wrapping around his throat and squeezing tight. He gasped, trying to get air into his lungs, vision going gray as the thing hissed and cursed in a language not known to man or beast.

A flare of light from his left tore into the creature's side, it screaming in pain as it released Jareth. He fell to the ground, watching as it shriveled and dissolved, booted feet running into his vision. A familiar bearded face was the last thing he saw as he fell into darkness.

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A stoic face stared at the man as he talked on and on and on and on and… Glorificus barely restrained the urge to stand, reach over the desk, grab the man's neck in both hands and shake wildly. He'd just lost his daughter less than two weeks ago! He shouldn't be sitting here dealing with all of this! He should be at home mourning with his family!

Hotaru was a mess. Kara was glued to either her mother or her sister's side. Kira had rarely left the house since the attack. Jareth… His eyes flickered to the desk before darting back up. Jareth had turned into him. He didn't show emotion, just wandered the house after his weeklong recovery.

Glorificus had walked in on him and Kira. He was hugging her tightly, arms quivering as she cried. He'd quickly stepped back out and barely kept himself from breaking down as well. He'd never known that Marie had been the glue of their family and now that it was finally destroyed… no. It had been breaking down since the first attack. He should've seen this coming… should've been prepared, should've tried harder to save his daughter from the darkness that gnawed on her mind, should've-

"Glorificus?" the man beside him murmured, nudging him.

"Hm?" He looked up finding the man staring at him. "My apologies sir." He glanced at the paper where he'd been using his magic to record what the man was saying. "We'll have someone out to investigate as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

"Next."

The next man came in and started droning on and on as the last had, his mind wanting desperately to escape the monotony, escape the fact that as soon as the monotony began it thought of the recent tragedy. A humorless smile crossed his features as he kept his head down, wondering what might happen were an incubo to attack right now. None of them would survive the attack, the pain far too raw.

The man was done speaking. "We'll see what we can do. Next." He jotted down a note.

Another stepped up to the plate. Another "We'll see what we do. Next." And another. And another. The monotony of such a job… he'd hoped one day that he'd be able to retire, hand if off to one of his kids and sit back to take care of grandkids. He'd wanted so badly to hold Marie's first child, his first grandchild.

"We'll see what we can do. Next."

Marie's children would chew his ear for hours, Jareth's children would turn him gray, Kira's would give him heart attacks and Kara's would bundle up close with a book. At least… that was the plan. He gripped the quill tightly. Plan had been stomped on before it even began. It was swept under the rug to be fed to the mice and never be seen again. Marie wouldn't marry. She wouldn't have kids. She was gone…

"We'll see what we can do. Next."

"I'd like a piece of land as my own."

Glorificus blinked then looked up as there were a few whispers among the council. "Pardon?"

Jareth sighed heavily as though he were extremely troublesome. "I'd like a piece of land as my own."

"Jareth, you understand that by owning a piece of land, you thereby rule over its inhabitants."

"I do."

"And you also realize that should the need for a High King arise, you cannot claim ownership."

"I do."

Glorificus bit his tongue against a nasty remark then nodded. "We'll see what we can do." he replied stonily. Jareth dipped his head once then turned on his heel, walking out. Glorificus' hands tightened around the quill.

His family was still falling apart… That damn monster would never leave them alone.

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Glorificus walked into the dining room. His family was there already, eating. Kara was babbling on about some flower she'd found in the backyard, Hotaru adding all of the perfectly placed coos and gasps in the six-year-old's story. Kira was watching in amusement, forking food into her mouth with one hand and writing with the other. Jareth was stirring his food around his plate, occasionally taking a bite but mostly staring at the wall opposite him with a blank look on his face.

"Good evening all," Glorificus announced, taking a seat beside Hotaru.

"Hi Dad!" Kira and Kara chirped, Jareth sending him a nod. They ate in dinner in relative normalcy for nearly a half an hour until Jareth stood to excuse himself.

"Jareth." He glanced back as he reached the doorway. "The council reviewed your request."

"Request?" Kira asked in confusion.

"You're to be given lands to the east. They are in turmoil and need a king."

"Jareth's leaving?" Kira asked quickly, looking between her brother and father.

"What?!" Hotaru cried.

"I'm nearly two hundred, mother," Jareth said coolly. "It's time for me to leave the nest." She looked between Glorificus whose jaw was set angrily and Jareth who looked as stoic as his father. "When can I leave?"

"Whenever you'd like," Glorificus replied.

He turned on his heel and headed for his room. "I'll be ready tomorrow evening."

"Jareth!" Hotaru shouted. He didn't reply or return. She shot Glorificus a dark look. "How could you do that?!"

"He doesn't want to be High King, Hotaru. I can't order him to. He requested lands from the council and I cannot deny his request because I was his father. He requested. People are in need. He got them."

Kira was staring at her plate but looked up with a half sad, half mischievous smirk. "Can I have my own lands dad?"

"No. Finish your dinner." She pouted and turned to Kara as she continued her story about the garden.

"Come on Kara." She reached over and plucked the girl up. "Let's go finish the story upstairs."

Hotaru sighed and looked down at her lap. He reached a hand over and squeezed hers. "It will be alright. He just needs time to recover."

"I dearly hope that's all needs… My children are leaving Glory…"

"He's not leaving. He's…" He didn't have a word for it. "He's _not_ leaving."

"I hope you're right Glory. If I lose any more children-"

"He's _not_ leaving." She swallowed roughly and turned to him. He pulled her into a hug. "He's not leaving. He's not leaving. He's not leaving."

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Jareth picked up a trinket in his closet, twisting it this way and that and wondering where it had come from. Probably something he and his group had snatched one day in the marketplace. With a shrug he tossed it behind him, the magic attached to it ensuring it would land safely in the suitcase.

A sigh behind him made him roll his eyes. Hotaru had offered to help pack and he'd accepted it, now regretting it as nearly every minute she'd sigh heavy.

His mother heaved another sigh and Jareth barely restrained an angered twitch. "You know what you're doing?" she asked, looking out the window.

"Yes mother," he replied tonelessly, setting the book in the trunk and reaching for the next few.

"You're breaking your father's heart. He'd hoped you could one day take over."

"Yes mother." This time there was a little annoyance in his tone.

"Now he'd have to ask Kira or Kara and not many people would take a liking to a female ruler."

"_Yes_. _Mother_."

She sighed. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Mother!" He spun around, angry tears in his eyes. "I can't stay here any longer! And being a High King requires staying here for a long time! I need… I need to get away and… I have to go… I can't…" He sunk onto his bed. "I can't…"

Her chin trembled and she hugged him tightly. "I know darling. I know…" She swallowed against his shoulder. "You must promise that you'll allow your father to put in a portal so that Kira and Kara may get through at any time."

He looked at her sharply. "You won't?"

"I will… but I've a duty to our people as High Queen. I cannot disappear so often from their sight or things may fall into chaos." She swallowed and stood tall, wiping at her eyes. A soft smile graced her features. "I'd always known you couldn't be kept in these walls… You're destined for much greater things Jareth. Just remember that with this new power comes a new responsibility. You must look out for your people first and your heart second."

"I will mother."

"You must promise to take care of yourself." Her hands rose gripping his arms tightly. "I cannot lose another child. You must _promise…_"

_Not to die,_ was not said but came through as though it had.

"I promise mother." He hugged her tightly. "Not for a very long time."

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Kara was asleep when he went to say good bye. He sat on the bed beside her and sighed heavily. "You've a great duty now Kara," he whispered. "Mother will need someone to bond with and as Kira is the next oldest, she'll be glued to her. Father will be angry at me for some time but… I can't stay here." He ran a hand through his hair. "Kira won't be High Queen, Kara, she won't. She will find someone and marry him and have kids but she won't take up the job. Father will turn to you…" He smiled at her. "You will make a brilliant High Queen Kara… If you ever need me, just call and I will come. I promise." He bent down and kissed her forehead.

She mumbled something in her sleep and turned onto her side. He brushed her bangs from her eyes and stood, walking out the door. He slowly made his way through the castle, eyes running over everything, remembering that room as his secret hiding place, that as the room where Jason nearly broken his arm leaping from the chandelier, that as the room where Amarandos and Ryoko had ambushed him with water balloons and his father had nearly killed them when he found out.

He smiled faintly and stopped in front of the study. His father was in there. He'd said his good bye, stiffly, at dinner and hadn't come out. Jareth raised a hand to knock then drew it back quietly, eyes falling to the ground. He smiled weakly at the door and turned, heading for the front doors.

His mother had said her goodbyes and hurried away to her room so he couldn't see her cry. He'd followed her and said another good bye, waiting until she fell asleep from exhaustion to leave and make his rounds. Now at the front door, he frowned. Kira had been nowhere to be found. He rested a hand on the front door. He couldn't leave without saying goodbye but he _needed_ to leave. He swung the door open and stepped onto the front stairs, breathing deeply.

"Jareth?"

He turned. Kira was wringing her hands. "I…" She swallowed. "You…" He just stared blankly until she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him. "Be careful," she whispered. "Please be careful." Her arms quivered, shoulders jerking with held in sobs. He blinked then hugged her back fiercely. She pulled away after a few minutes and wiped at her eyes.

"Come and visit," he whispered.

She nodded quickly. "I'll bring Kara too. We'll… we'll have a picnic or something, yeah?"

He gave her a faint smile before turning on his heel and leaping into the air, transforming as he did. He didn't look back, couldn't, but if he had, he would've seen her standing the same spot, waving until he disappeared from sight.

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Landing lightly on the ground of his new kingdom, Jareth sneered. It was horrible. Buildings were in shambles, the creatures were filthy and starving. It was like the bad part of town but it was an entire city. He walked about for nearly an hour but saw nothing but starvation and filth. There was a deep ditch separating the town from a flat stone hillside.

He transformed and flew to the other side, landing lightly on the ground. All around him was stone. Further on was bare grass and a thick forest beyond that, a pond beneath a hill overlooking it. He scowled and glanced back at the city, wondering how such beauty could lay beyond such waste. Circling the stone area a few times, he nodded to himself, thinking that this was a place where a castle could be built. He flew back towards the city but didn't transform, continuing to the edges of his kingdom and fluttering back, landing in the heart of the Labyrinth.

A splash of color caught his eyes and he walked over quickly, kneeling beside the two flowers. He ran a gloved hand over each, the blackness of his gloves bringing out the blue of the pansy and the brilliant white of the daisy. He smiled faintly and stood looking around this secret area of the Labyrinth. It was crumbling into decay but he would make it better, turn it into a safe haven for his thoughts when life because unbearable.

"_**And who might you be?"**_ a voice echoed in his mind.

He jumped in surprise. "I am Jareth, the new King and Ruler of these lands."

"_**A ruler? After so long. We've not had a ruler for many, many years." **_

"I can tell," he muttered, glancing around the crumbling labyrinth.

There was a chuckle. _**"Now, now. It's not polite to laugh at an abused labyrinth."**_

"Abused?"

"_**Monsters roam where fairies once did. They swim in our waters and pollute them. The goblins-"**_

"Goblins?" Jareth asked quickly.

"_**Yes… you've heard of goblins?" **_

"Yes. My… my sister once told me of them." A small smile fell on his face as he turned his eyes back to the flowers. "She called me King of the Goblins."

"_**Then fate has drawn you here Jareth, Goblin King. The city you walked through was once the great Goblin City. They used to be a brilliant race but as the kings faded into darkness, so did their intelligence. The abused shifted into goblins to escape the constant torment of memories. They became an escape from the real life and slowly, the world caved in. If you're to recover this race… it's a near impossible feat." **_

"I do not want to recover the race. If they truly want to recover themselves they can do as such." He looked around at the walls again. "I want to bring back life. This place is falling apart. It needs to be fixed…"

There was a feeling of happiness that wrapped around him. _**"Correct answer. The goblins have no wish to remember what they lost. Your duty is to help them stabilize but NOT remember. They must not remember or they will fall once again. You will rescue those that need it and change them to fit their needs. You will be a dark hero to distressed creatures both man and beast. Do you understand?"**_

"I do." He lifted his chin. "I will restore this land and its creatures Sir Labyrinth. Of this I vow."

A golden light swirled up from the ground, rustling his clothes and hair as it swirled around him. As it shot into the sky he tilted his head back to watch it. At a nearly imperceptible height it fell like a dome covering the land in its entirely.

"_**So you vow. Now… let's see what you can do."**_

Jareth smirked, looking back towards the flowers that seemed even brighter now. "Just you wait and see."

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Standing in the window of his stone castle he peered down at the thriving Goblin City down below. He shut his eyes and let the wind run through his hair. Turning on a booted heel he headed into his room and to the small bookshelf located there.

Jareth ran a gloved finger over the red cover of the book and smiled faintly, recalling the last time his sister had read to him and his gang of troublemakers, all of them starry-eyed and focused only on the words coming from her mouth.

He waved a hand and transformed, quickly heading for the Aboveground. He landed beside a woman sitting at her desk, tapping a pen against the pad of paper, looking lost.

"I have a gift for you."

She jumped and spun, eyes wide and fearful. "H-how did you get in here?!"

He twirled a crystal on his fingertips. "I said I've brought you a gift."

She frowned. "W-what is it?"

"It's a crystal. Nothing more, but if you turn it this way and look into it, it will show you your dreams." Her eyes focused on the crystal seeing nothing else. "But this isn't a gift for an ordinary girl who leads an ordinary life. Do you want it?" She nodded slowly. "Then you must do something for me."

"Anything!"

"Write."

She blinked. "Write? Write what?"

"A story." He smirked darkly. "A story about a girl and a baby and a wicked goblin king."

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**And so, the Goblin King was born…**


End file.
